Working from home: The ultimate guide to making money on the Internet

2012; a New Year, a new you and if those Mayans have their way, then 2012 may be the last chance for you to become an online work from home success. So, if you want to spend as much time at home as possible before the so-called “judgement day” on December 21^st, 2012, why not begin your Internet career right now?

The idea of making money online is a concept that many look into for a number of reasons. Some people want a second income so that they have more money to spend; others adore the idea of making a living on the Internet so that they can work from home.

Now that is a luxurious lifestyle to say the least. Working your own hours, being your own boss, having total, complete control over how much you can earn and what hours you put into earning it.

The Internet can be used for both a secondary income and a main source of income, you just need to know the ways of making your work from home dreams come to life and there are a number of ways to do so.

Freelance writing on the Internet

Freelance writing is one of the very best ways to take complete and total control of your work from home career and your subsequent income that comes from it. As a freelance writer, you can make money in several ways.

Making money online via Revenue share

Many freelance writing websites allow you to make money forever on work that you complete. This is could revenue share. The more traffic you drive to your articles, the more money they make over time just by being read.

This basically means that articles you write in 2011 will still be able to make money in 2012, 2013 and so on. Two websites that offer versatile revenue share include Helium.com and Hubpages.com but there are several others if you can find them.

Revenue share is driven by Internet traffic and search engine performance. The higher your article is ranked in search engines, the more traffic you are going to get to your article and subsequently, the more reads and more money you will get as a reward.

Great ways to increase revenue share is to post links to your work on social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. If people like your article, they may link back to it for all of their friends and audience to read too. This trend can continue forever essentially and the more that it happens, again, the more reads and more money you will get.

Other ways to improve revenue share include affiliation and partnering with other writers. This can be done via link sharing, cross promotion, article collaborating, advertising or marketing. Never overlook the benefits of being social when it comes to aiding your freelance writing career.

Taking time to learn Internet basics such as SEO can greatly aid your revenue share earnings. The proper use of keywords that are popular and most searched is a great way to contribute to increased earnings. Hubpages gives you the ability to see who has read your article based on what they searched for. Use this information to help you become more competent in SEO.

Keeping up to day with Google trends and Twitter trends is also a great way to decide what keywords to use in your article. Trends takes data from the most searched and white hot topics on the Internet for that day. This is flawless data that you can't afford to ignore if you want to increase your revenue share.

Making money online via Incentive payments

One of the main ways that people earn money on the Internet is via incentive payments. Incentive payments basically mean that you write for a set amount of money. Websites such as Helium.com and Emerging Cast offer incentive payments.

To qualify for incentive payments, you simply go through the assignment system on a website and look for titles that you want to write to. These titles have a price beside them in the brief. You simply accept these titles, write to them and you will get paid.

This means that if in one month, you write to 100 titles for incentive payment each priced at $3.00 each, you will have $300.00 in earnings that month. Considering that on some websites, articles that you write may also qualify for revenue share; you can actually earn much more than $300.00, especially if you advertise market and increase your traffic.

Incentives via assignments are not the only way to earn money upfront. You can also register as a self employed freelance writer and take on a vast number of other different writing assignments for set and agreed prices.

These include ghost writing jobs in which you are given a project brief and you subsequently have to finish the project in a set period of time from days, weeks and even months depending on the size and you will then get monetary benefits for your efforts. Ghost writing is one of the best ways to make money as a freelance writer.

Other jobs such as ghost writing which can allow you to work for incentives include copy typing, creative writing and general content source creation for clients and publishers.

Another great benefit of writing is the fact that once created, unless otherwise stated, your content is your own. You retain copyright from it. Publishers can buy non-exclusive rights to your work to display on their own websites and even in e-publications and written publications. People often pay good money for non-exclusive rights and because you retain the copyright, you can essentially sell that same article time and time again.

How to cash in on revenue share

Cashing in on revenue share online is not the easiest thing in the world by any means at all. Finding the best ways to increase your revenue share properly can be incredibly difficult, but when you consider the fact that doing so can dramatically and permanently increase your monetary rewards and subsequent income that comes from them, it is a very worthwhile thing to consider.

Taking advantage of social media platforms is the first way to cash in on revenue share. The fact of the matter is, no matter what your article is about, it is content nonetheless, content before anything else. The main thing that you want to do is deliver that content to people that want to read it. This is your target audience and one of the best ways to reach your target audience is by connecting to people and subsequently delivering your article to them.

Social networking is one of the best ways to do this. Register on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networks and add friends, join groups and pages that are relevant to your online career and your work. When you finish an article, "Like" it on Facebook so that your friends can see it. Try to get your friends to like it, try to get page and group leaders to re-post it.

The same thing applies to Twitter. Strategically use hashes (#) and quotation marks (") to deliver your article to a target audience that searches for trending keywords or keywords in your title that you highlight with hashes and quotation marks. Follow people, try to get re-tweeted, make your profile matter and over time, you will build up a positive social networking profile that will hold you in good stead.

All of the aforementioned help you increase your traffic and as a result, you can find your work higher ranked on search engines and as further result, you can find your monthly revenue share and monthly income that comes from it greatly increased.

How to make more writing for incentives

Making money from incentive or upfront payments is an investment that has to be built over time just as revenue share payments do. In reality, there is actually no different. You put time, effort and plenty of long, late hours into writing and you build up a profile. Sometimes, you may find yourself writing for next to nothing or even nothing at all, but it is all an investment. Everyone starts off from nothing and it is important to remember that your writing career grows over time. You cannot just wake up, start writing one day and expect to become a work from home millionaire that same day, week, month or even year.

When writing for incentives, it is important to work on building up a viable profile of high quality work. Write articles about things that are going to make your talents shine. This could be your likes or interests or it could even be topics that you know people will research into such as health and fitness, medical issues, car and automobile reviews, consumer electronics, revenues, anything like that; information that people need to know, that is guaranteed to get you hits. Remember to put all of your effort into each incentive piece, cite your sources and resources and back-up every fact that you give with a source that confirms it.

Keep track of your very best articles and if the website you are writing for allows it, keep track of your traffic and stats too. Hubpages allows you to do this and a few other websites do also.

Give it a few months, try and write a few articles a week and over time, you will develop a portfolio that can hold you in good stead. From there, create a resume or a CV giving details of your writing credentials and your prowess and ensure that you have links to your work in the resume. You can then pass that resume out to potential paying clients via freelance writing application websites.

Building up a portfolio, getting your name out there, putting every bit of effort and detail you can into a piece of work and subsequently showcasing that piece of work to the masses of Internet readers is the best way to get more incentive work. If you build a good reputation, more people are more likely to hire you to generate content for their website. It is just like getting a job in the real world: If you do a good job, you will get more work and word always travels fast, especially online. Doing a good job for one client can earn you a second job with another, a third with his best friend, a fourth with his cousin, a fifth with his wife's boss and so on and so fourth. Every job matters, remember that, especially when writing for incentives.

Cashing in on trends and current events

One of the best things about being a freelance writer on the Internet is that it is physically impossible to run out of work. This is because the Internet is essentially an online representation of the real world and there are always people looking for things, searching for things, lusting for information - which you can deliver to them. This is where trends and current events come into play.

A simple turn to Google or Twitter to see the latest trends will show you an in depth list of the things that people are searching for. This can be anything from breaking news events all the way to information on specific trending topics.

Two examples of recent search trends include the death of Osama bin Laden which took up every single trend slot on the Internet making it the most searched trending topic on the Internet this year. People that wrote any article or piece on Osama bin Laden whether about his death, his life, or anything else were pretty much guaranteed hits, some more than others obviously., especially those with a powerful online voice or those that wrote for popular online destinations such as news websites.

The point here is, you can make money online very easily simply by cashing in on trends and current events. Write a detailed, in depth piece about a current event or situation that is presently trending, promote it, publicize it and make sure people read it and you could be on the verge of a white-hot article which obviously can be very profitable. This is something that can be repeated time and time again for literally endless amounts of traffic, exposure and subsequent income.

Yes, you will get results and yes, you can actually make money online, here are a few tips for success:

• Search online every day for freelance jobs, new jobs are added all the time and they are just waiting for you to claim them!

• Watch TV online. There is money to be made writing TV show reviews as and when they happen!

• Play online games. Game guides, reviews, tips cheats and more are all brilliant for both incentives and revenue share.

• Become an online dictionary. Your success depends on what you write and different target audiences search for different things. Write for every subject imaginable if you want to cash in big time in 2012!

1) Consider your home situation.

Do you pay rent? Do you live with parents? Are you a home owner? Knowing that you are going to have a roof over your head is a deciding factor to making the work from home leap.

2) Consider your financial situation.

Do you have enough money to pay your bills? Do you have enough money to eat? Do you have enough money saved up to live off while you attempt to make your work from home dream a reality? Be sure to know your funds and seek professional help from an accountant or a budgeter before making a decision

3) Consider your family situation.

Are you the sole earner in your family? Are you a stay-at-home mom? Are any of your children ready to leave home? Are you on the verge of retirement? Always consider your family and the impact your career change could have on them.

4) Research your potential life changing decision.

Be sure to look into every detail about working from home such as managing your finances which could need an accountant, tax information for working for overseas clients and also look into proper time management skills.

5) Work for sites that pay.

The Internet can be home to many scams, but there are sites out there that pay. Some of the best freelance writing sites that actually pay include Helium.com and DooYoo.co.uk. Check your local listings for online job opportunities and remember, Google search is your best friend when it comes to finding work. Make friends also, the more contacts the better.

6) Do not expect a flowing income straight away.

Working from home is a career path that requires dedication, effort, patience and persistence. Some websites will offer revenue that can take years to build up into a liveable income, but it is possible. Take steps to stay motivated and dedicated with your work from home endeavours and you can subsequently reap the rewards. Treat it as an investment.

7) Look into where your talents lie.

The Internet will pay potential work from home career seekers money for things such as freelance writing, art and sketches, 3D graphics and logos, vector art and even stock photography. Think about your talents and know what you want to do.

8) Think about your qualifications.

You may have gone to school, college or university years and years ago but you may be skilled in an area which can be profitable. Knowledge is a big seller on the Internet so think about your areas of expertise and think of ways in which you can turn them into a work from home career and profit from them.

9) Utilize life experience.

You can get paid simply for having life experience. Do you have an experience with aging and growing older? Do you have experience in education and career changes? Has the recession affected you? Could you be made redundant or lose your home in 2011? Life experience is profitable. Use it to your advantage.

Step 1: Helium Marketplace –

The Helium Marketplace is one of the best places to earn money on Helium. Writers can click on the Helium Marketplace to see available assignments along with prices. From there, they can simply sort the assignments via section or price and then get writing. Helium Marketplace accepts articles only in second or third person and it is not a given that an article will be purchased. Put plenty of effort into ensuring an article is the best of the bunch. Even if it is not purchased, writers can still get paid if their article transitions to Helium.

Step 2: Helium Contests –

Helium Contests are a great way to make money on Helium. They can be accessed via the My Helium page and then clicking on writing contests on the top left-hand side. Writing contests feature titles of all subjects, there is something for everyone. However, writers are competing against each other for the top three prizes. Top quality content is a must to win contests and earn the winning prizes.

Step 3: Basic Revenue –

Revenue is Helium’s best feature. It basically entails a writer’s articles constantly earning from the day they are submitted. Writing to popular titles or titles that are based around profitable events can earn a killing in revenue. Look for titles that are going to earn over a long period of time and be sure to submit only the highest quality content to stand out in the ratings. Take steps to increase revenue; both quality and quantity is important.

Step 4: Helium Community –

Sometimes, the key to earning more revenue is simply getting a writer’s name out there. For those that are looking to earn more money on Helium, take to Helium’s community and enter in discussions. More people are likely to click a profile and read subsequent articles if quality participation is enjoyed on the community forums, and it is fun too!

Step 5: Try Your Luck –

Even if an article may be out of a specific comfort zone, research into it and hone the craft to try and come up with a quality article to submit. If it seems that the odds are too much to handle, try anyway. Persistence is the key to success on Helium. Write to any topic that is going to earn money, even if it is out of a comfort zone. Research, write quality content and submit it, even if it is in a section that a specific writer would not normally write in.

The Internet is a huge scam zone. It is very easy to believe that you will never be paid to write online. However, that is a close-minded belief. It is very possible to earn money by writing for paid to write and content sites, it is just a matter of finding the ones that actually pay. Here are a few of them which I know actually pay based from my own personal experience over my years of online working.

1) Helium.com

I have written for Helium.com for many years and they have been the best when it comes to earning. I have earned in the marketplace where I have sold many articles and have earned upfront payments and I currently earn good amounts in daily revenue. Write plenty, promote your work and never forget to try your luck. Helium can be good money if you put time and effort into it. They pay via PayPal twice a month; the 15^thand the final day of the month. Featured above, here are a few more things you can use at Helium.

Here are a few tips for achieving success as a writer on Helium:

• Make friends and join in on the community. this is all part of increasing your online presence, which is a key to success when working on the Internet. The more people that know you, and the more people you know, the better. Make that effort.

• Write for contests. Helium contests are a great way to make revenue from current trending topics. Contests are a great way for new Helium writers to start making money quickly.

• Accept assignments. There are often assignments in all categories just waiting to be accepted. Try to accept titles out of your comfort zone too. To revisit what was said earlier, the more versatile your portfolio, the more versatile the audience which in turn means more money.

2) Reviewstream.com

Reviewstream was the first paid to write website I decided to write for. I put in plenty of effort and found it very difficult, but I have had several $50.00 payments from them. I haven’t written for them in over a year but they seem to have made very little changes. The earning potential is there if you have knowledge on specific products that are in the high earning categories such as medicine and autos.

Here are a few tips for achieving success as a writer on ReviewStream:

• Appeal to your target audience. You can do this by ensuring you touch on everything that the audience needs to know abotu the product you are reviewing.

• Make your review leave the user asking questions. You get extra money if users ask questions so leave a few things unanswered.

• Take note of the highest paying categories. you can do this by viewing the ReviewStream homepage. Usually, medicine, electronics and cars are top paying.

3) DooYoo.co.uk

DooYoo is a review site that pays in DooYoo Miles. Every time I reach 25,000 DooYoo miles, I can then convert them into an Amazon voucher worth £25.00. It takes a while to get to that stage but by writing regular, being active in the community and being dedicated, I can earn quite a bit. For 50,000 DooYoo Miles you can request a check, but I have never done so. A similar site, Ciao, also exists, but I have never actually used it.

Here are a few tips for achieving success as a writer on DooYoo:

• Structure your reviews. This can be anything as simple as adding asteriks or hashtags just to emphasize headings and subtitles. Proper formatting is essential. A well structured review is the key to success.

• Make friends in the community. Dooyoo is a very community driven website. Leave comments if you want to recieve comments. Talk in the forums, contribute and give compliments and join in the chat on the Dooyoo Facebook. This is not only fun, but it will greatly aid you in achieving success and monetary rewards.

• Use a quality writing style. Do not just say "I like this product because..." but instead, go into extreme detail. why do you like it? why will it appeal? why is it a great product? Why will other people like it? What are its best and worst bits? Every bit of detail counts. Quality reviews can earn you extra cash and recognition if they are "crowned". Go for the gold!

4) Demand Studios

I recently decided to try my luck with other websites and one of the first that I came across was Demand Studios. I had my application accepted and completed three articles worth $7.00 each. One of them got rejected, but I received payment for the other two although I was not selected to continue working for them. The earning potential is there if you stick to their rules and their style guides, but it can be difficult and tedious when you get your work rejected or sent back for re-writes.

Here are a few tips for achieving success as a writer on Demand / eHow

• Proof read everything before you submit. This is especially important when you are in yuor trial period. If you submit articles with too many hours, you will not be accepted as a full time writer ever again. Proof read every little detail.

• Read the brief thoroughly. Failure to read the brief and do everything exactly as the client wants it will result in you being labelled a bad writer which can greatly damage your career. Do not rush anything at all.

• Only accept things that you really want to write about. This rule generally only paplies for newer writers. You are more likely to enjoy less stress and more success with topics you are passionate about. When you have more experience, you can accept jobs out of your comfort zone.

Joining Hubpages and viewing your account and profile for the first time can be incredibly exciting, but also very scary. With Hubpages, you never truly know what to expect. You could be dabbling for months and months before you earn your first dollar or you may even strike a lucky chime and earn a couple hundred over night. You never really know. Of course, for Hubpages newbie’s, there are plenty of pieces of information and useful tips and advice that can be offered to help you get your Hubpages career off the ground.

Set up and optimize your profile

The first thing that you should do when you join Hubpages is to first set up and optimize your profile. This will help your readers recognise you and it will also help you showcase yourself as an eventual established writer on Hubpages. Write a little bit about yourself, set up your interests, hobbies and likes, attach a picture of yourself to your profile and never overlook the benefits of showcasing all of your writing credentials, professional qualifications and life experiences on your profile.

Get your earning programs set up

Hubpages gives you the opportunity to earn money from your work. Be sure to set up a “Google Adsense” account so that you can start earning money by displaying Google advertisements on your hubs. If people click these, you will get money. From there, be sure to register to the Hubpages Ad program which is a brand-new way to earn even more money from Hubpages simply by getting impressions on your ads. The more people that read your Hubs and the more traffic you get, the more money you will earn.

Write your first Hub

Write your first Hub based on something that you are interested in and something that drives you. Take a quick look at your hobbies or interests and then think about what drives you and motivates you the most. You may have an interest in sports, you may have experience in computers or technology or you may even simply want to review your new smart phone. As long as the article is well written, properly formatted, at least 400 words of quality information, you will have successfully completed your first quality entry on the Hubpages website.

Join the community

Hubpages is a community driven website. This means that if you partner, affiliate and socialize with other people on the site, you are truly going to become a viable asset. With other writers, you can follow each other, leave fan mail, and get notifications to your e-mail when each of you publishes a new Hub and more. A good way to get started on the community is to click the “Answers” section at the top of your “My Account” page and from there, you will be able to ask your own questions so that other Hubbers can answer your queries and answer questions that other community members post.

Keep writing

One of the most beneficial pieces of advice that can be offered to a Hubpages newbie is to have patience and just keep writing. You are not going to make a living from Hubpages by just writing the odd one or two articles every now and then, you need to be dedicated. Give it time, put effort into it and you will earn and succeed. Look at it as a real job and a career. Give yourself hours and working times, schedule your writing time and then stick to that schedule. Over time, you will see your writing career expand, your income increase and your time on Hubpages becoming more and more well spent as each and every minute goes by.

Broaden your horizons

Hubpages presents you with the perfect opportunity to broaden your horizons in regards to your interests. While you can still make Hubpages career writing solely about a single subject that interests you, why not take steps to broaden your horizons so you can write about more and potentially earn more too? Take the time to “Hop some Hubs” and read work that others have posted in other sections of the site. You may find new passions, likes and interests, make new friends and of course, develop the ability over time to write on a vast and seemingly endless number of subjects.

Try your hand at trend writing

“Trend writing” basically defines writing about subjects that are trending at the time. By going to “Google Trends” or “Twitter Trends” you will be able to see keywords that are trending at the time. For example, when the Super Bowl is being hyped, the Super Bowl is regularly trending. Similarly, the Royal Wedding between William and Kate was trending leading up to and even on the April 29^th extravaganza that took place in London. Writing about trending subjects can get you insane amounts of traffic in a small amount of time which can obviously positively impact your earning potential and your writing career at Hubpages

Final advice to newbie Hubbers

Just do not quit. Some people often mistake Hubpages and online writing as a get rich quick scheme, but it is not that by any means. Hubpages and the online world of writing for money is like any job, it requires hard graft and a bit of elbow grease. With time, effort, dedication and a solid mind to help you keep your feet on the ground during the stressful, tedious and often hair-pulling moments of frustration when it seems like there is no hope of you ever making money, you will. It may catch you by surprise, it may creep up on you over time but if you keep writing, stay patient and truly enjoy what you do, not to mention, constantly broaden your horizons to find new ways to socialize and make money, you will be able to make plenty of money, a second income or even a full-time career on Hubpages.

As one of the most versatile writing websites on the Internet, there are many other tips for success that you can sue to your advantage while on Hubpages:

Visit the “Answers” section

The answers section of Hubpages is a great way to help combat your writers block and it is a tip that should be taken into consideration to all Hubpages writers. This section is real-time and you can therefore see questions being asked by Hubbers as and when they are asked. You can click on several tabs such as “hot”, “latest” and “best”. Scroll through these sections and try to find a topic that interests you or that means something to you and consider making your Hub about one of these topics.

While using the answers section at Hubpages:

• Try to answer every question that appeals to you.

• Answer questions with insight and depth. Avoid "yes or no" answers.

• If someone's answer appeals to you, leave them feedback!

Visit the “Forums” section

Much like the answers section, Hubbers often post questions in here, questions that can inspire your next Hub. Alternatively, there are plenty of other sections in the Hubpages official forums that can inspire you to create your next Hub. Visit “The Hubbers Hangout” to see what people are talking about and again, try to find a subject that interests you or even annoys you and then make your voice heard in your next Hub.

Here are some tips for using the forums at Hubpages:

• Make friends and join in on community discussions.

• Start your own community discussions.

• Get feedback from fellow Hubbers and give feedback also.

Take advantage of "Trending" Topics

There are several places to view exactly what is trending in the world today. Trending topics are basically white hot topics that are taking up the search engines. They are what people are searching for the most in the entire world and this could be millions of times over. Visit “Google trends” or “Twitter trends” and you will see exactly what people are searching for. Some of these things could inspire you to write your next Hub and they could even result in increased traffic, more followers and subsequently, more money.

Here are some tips for making the most of trends:

• The time of year can define trends. Super Bowl Season, World Cup Season and WrestleMania season all bring forth their own trends on google, Twitter and more. Players, superstars and more often trend. Keep this in mind whenever a season is round the corner!

• Breaking news events always trend. Whether natural disasters, shocking deaths or even celebrity gossip. Whatever you hear about in your daily lives on the TV, radio and in the newspapers that gets people talking usually trends and is therefore a good earner.

• Be quick! If you learn of some breaking news, get Hubbing! the quicker you are, the faster search engines will pick you up over other articles that come later.

Think of your favourite things

One of the best writing tips that can be offered is to use your imagination. You will obviously have likes and interests. Use these to your advantage. Think of your favourite TV shows or video games, think of any experiences or scenarios that you have had in your life, think about holidays, relationships, pets, family, anything that you want. You could write reviews, tips, guides or more simply by delving into your own mind and taking advantage of your own hobbies and interests and favourite things.

Here are some tips for cashing in on your favorite things:

• What are the latest TV shows, video games or popular bands or artists? These things often bring in the audiences. Write reviews, commentaries and even make video reviews!

• What is happening in the world of your favorite thing? New players or superstars debuting? Breaking news? Retirements? New material? Cash in on it as and when it is announced!

• Guides to success, hints and tips, top ten lists and more often apply to most hobbies and interests and you will love writing about them which makes the cash reward that much sweeter.

Everyone can make money online. The only problem is, doing so isn’t always easy. However, the aforementioned guide will help you make your work from home dreams come true. Whether you want to sell photographs, make money from YouTube videos or dabble in the versatile world of freelance writing, there is something on the Internet for everyone and therefore, a way for every single person with an Internet connection to make cold, hard cash.

Follow the steps, tips and hints above and, you could soon be well on your way to making a living from the comfort of your own home in 2012 and beyond. Leave comments, we want to hear testaments and stories of both success and failure but remember, when it comes to making money online, there is always a chance to succeed, even when you hit rock bottom. Pick yourself back up, get typing, watch and wait for that money to come rolling in. Remember, on every potential earning source on the Internet, there is unclaimed money just waiting to be claimed by you. Make 2012 the year that you work from home!